I've decided to use my AYA 3-1/2" 10ga this year for some goose fun. Will probably stick with 3" steel shot shells. Both my barrels are .772 with .045 chokes, seems like extra full &extra full.

I know there are one or two of you that have these guns from the 1960-70's. Have you opened your chokes at all? I remember there was one member that got a ton of 10ga steel shotshells at a discount and uses it a lot, did you at least open the right barrel?

I have not had a chance to pattern this gun and will be doing so at 35-40 yds. but I am interested to hear the experience of others.


thanks,

Rob

I shot steel in my tight choked AYA lightweight for years. I never opened the chokes. In retrospect, I should have either opened them or installed screw chokes. I sold it to a friend a few months ago. The gun would have been much more useful if I had opened the chokes. I just couldn't get those 80 and 90 yard geese out of my mind.

I think Rob just got his duck stamp and read how many snow geese he can shoot per day in the Atlantic flyway!!

We actually don't see a lot of snow geese on the east side of the Hudson. Once in a while they are mixed in with the Canada's but not a lot. Too bad, I hear they are much better eating than Canadas are. I hear you need a spread of at least several hundred dekes for snows also, that true?

Eightbore, were you the fellow that had a pallet or two of the 10ga steel loads? Did they go with the gun?

Smartest bird I ever hunted. Pennsylvania is allowing electronic decoys and calls, a first I believe for us, and the daily total for the extended season between Feb 27 to April 27 is 25 a day!!
I better call and get some shells!!

RR, no, I didn't have a pallet of ten gauge steel, but I have a lifetime supply at the rate I shoot them. No, they didn't go with the gun, I have a baggo tens that I can use them in. I'm actually looking at another one like the one I sold that I may be able to buy cheap. They are some gun and I would buy as many as I could find.

I once had a BASQUE ( Spanish) 10 bore SxS.
This gun was so massively constructed I opened it up to an 8 bore ( still a legal wildfowling tool in the UK)I also at the time opened the choke boring to throw a half choke (modified) pattern from both barrels. Never looked back since, fabulous gun to use and good fun doing it.Only eleven days to go before she breathes fire again, September 1st is Wildfowling start.

I have owned 3 or 4 AYA 10's over the last 30 years and while the 32 " barrels with heavy choking were fine for pass shooting with lead, my current gun was sent to Brileys about 15 years ago and I had the barrels shortened to 28" and thin wall steel choke tubes installed. The four choke tubes are choked .015,.020,.025 and .030
The .015 gives good modified patterns that kills well to 45 yds and the .030 gives tight full patterns which will do the job out to 55-60. The gun handles much better and quicker yet still balances about an inch ahead of the hinge pin. It has done serious damage to our local Snow and Canada geese with all manner of factory and reloaded steel up to BBB in size.Surprisingly the action is as tight as new with the top lever still right of center after digesting thousands of rounds.It is my favourite go to goose gun in our harsh salt marsh conditions. Great guns.

I can't write of 3 1/2" 10 gauges since the only one I ever owned, a Beterra Silver Hawk, seemed so big and sluggish compared to my Parker and LC Smith 2 7/8" Damascus "Short Tens" of equal weight. The Beretta was in and out of my safe before it killed a goose! Are the AYA tens better handling than Berettas?

I shoot Nice Shot #2, 1 3/8 ounce low pressure loads through .030" constrictions with exceptional results on Canada Geese at 60 yards.